Posts Written by michael

(Not) “Born This Way”: Glee, Gaga, and the message of false love

Glee, the highly successful musical television show, appears to preach a message of self-love. One particular episode of the show, named after the “LGBT inclusive” pop single “Born This Way”, brands and promotes this love in ways both subtle as well as grotesque. This a self-love which I believe to be false and damaging for youth everywhere and through an analysis of the episode, I hope to reveal why.

The episode is based upon the assumption that “self” modifications of any kind are inherently wrong. One should never hide their “true identity”, or attempt to change that stable, internal sense of self through cosmetic surgery, and other “unnatural” alterations of the body. The show, working upon this premise, constructs its own moral framework of sorts, through which characters can come to rid themselves of shame. Through positive self-reflection and expression, the characters can achieve their own liberation. In this way, characters of all shapes, sizes and sexual orientations are given the key to attaining a positive “in your face” attitude.

Throughout the episode, viewers are given a glance at the personal histories and inner dialogues of two characters, misfit Lauren and popular Quinn. Quinn has had cosmetic surgery (a rhinoplasty) and through weight-loss and makeup, is in a constant state of “self-modification”, or at least maintenance of a “beauty” she has worked so hard to achieve. Lauren on the other hand is heavier, accepts this and in doing so represents a more rebellious archetype of ...

Abortion and transgender identity, or how society won’t allow me my body!

As someone male bodied, but not male identified, I often find it hard to discuss feminism and women’s rights amongst cisgendered women. The sense of harassment…or rather alienation I feel is inevitable I guess. I have not grown up being perceived as a woman, therefore I have no access to a female, or simply “non-male” identity. However I beg to disagree. Our psyches have multiple foundations. Gender and sexual identities are steeped in neurology. Yet simultaneously they are also formed and even constructed to a certain degree. Our inner dialogues regarding our gender identity (or lack thereof) are complex, subjective, and wholeheartedly true…always! This is not “political correctness” obscuring the “science.” I am, in fact, through respecting transgender identities, refusing ...

As someone male bodied, but not male identified, I often find it hard to discuss feminism and women’s rights amongst cisgendered women. The sense of harassment…or rather alienation I feel is inevitable I guess. I have not ...

the alienation of queer identity

What does it mean to be queer?

…and why is the mainstream “gay establishment”, if there even is such a thing, working so hard to erase that word from the political discourse surrounding QUEER issues (i refuse to reiterate the lengthy, assimilationist acronym that is LGBTTQQIIAA).

As a QUEER person, the validity of your sexual identity, you gender identity (or lack thereof), you gender expressions, your sexuality, even your body, integral aspects of who you are, is consistently questioned, threatened, & trivialized. The common thread of experience that all queer people share with one another is the inner struggle to accept & embrace these natural, normal parts of our being, despite the patriarchy’s insistent oppression.

Gender & sexuality are the two most basic ...

What does it mean to be queer?

…and why is the mainstream “gay establishment”, if there even is such a thing, working so hard to erase that word from the political discourse surrounding QUEER issues (i refuse to ...

my body…my being

There should be no beauty standards promoted by our hetero-normative patriarchy that women (with or w/o penis’s) should be forced to conform to. While there are certain “visuals” that are built into our dna for reproductive reasons alone (v-shaped abdomen for men, low waist-hip ratio, etc) for the most part physical “beauty” is a social construct. People often think (these people often being men), “I like skinny girls with big tits cause that’s what I like! That’s what we all like, right? Thats why those girls in those ads look the way they do! Right? It’s nature!”… Not exactly. This a perfect example of how nurture from a young age actually cultivates our nature, the result being that we often ...

There should be no beauty standards promoted by our hetero-normative patriarchy that women (with or w/o penis’s) should be forced to conform to. While there are certain “visuals” that are built into our dna for reproductive reasons ...

I’m Gay, Therefore I Am?

I am “male” in the sense that I have a male figure (currently)….and I am attracted to men…for all intensive purposes I am known by society as a gay male. Yahoo, fantastic, get me a tiara!

Isn’t that magical? You see I’m no longer just michael, I’m GAY michael!, and I think we can all agree that my name was just so tragically lacking in fabulosity beforehand. Because isn’t that what I am? Isn’t that the one and only thing that defines me? Isn’t that the purpose of my friendship…and existence in the lives of the hetero-normative 96%?

You see my current identity as a gender-variant 17 year old city dwelling gay male is FABULOUS!…but also freakish & abnormal & not something ...

I am “male” in the sense that I have a male figure (currently)….and I am attracted to men…for all intensive purposes I am known by society as a gay male. Yahoo, fantastic, get me a tiara!

Isn’t that ...

gender liberation & the quest for self-definiton

hello.

I am new to feministing so please don’t attack me when I state that I am biologically male!

Anyways, I though I might come on here for several reasons, the obvious being that I’m a 17 year old hardcore feminist who seeks to connect with others. However I also feel that as someone who is part of the trans-feminine spectrum, who hovers the line between stereotypically feminine gay male & transgender woman, I might add some (hopefully) interesting commentary to this community. I feel that as the tone of feminism moves from one of collective identity to a breakdown of the gender binary, queer theory and trans inclusion become so essential to understanding women’s liberation today. Feminism is not just about ...

hello.

I am new to feministing so please don’t attack me when I state that I am biologically male!

Anyways, I though I might come on here for several reasons, the obvious being that I’m a 17 year old ...